The Somalian government has ordered a top United Nations official, Nicholas Haysom to leave the country for his alleged interference with internal affairs.
On December 30, Haysom, a Special Representative of the U.N. Secretary-General, had raised questions in a letter about the involvement of U.N.-supported Somali security forces in the arrest of Mukhtar Robow. Somalia’s the foreign affairs ministry said the UN envoy “is not required and cannot work in this country.”
“He openly breached the appropriate conduct of the U.N. office in Somalia,” said the statement released by the ministry.
Mukhtar Robow, a former militant of the Islamist al Shabaab group was banned by the government from running for president in last month’s regional election.
The government said Robow was arrested on suspicion that he had brought militants and weapons back to Baidoa, the capital of South West region where he tried to contest.
At least 15 civilians were killed and around 300 people detained, most of them children, when protests erupted after Robow’s arrest in the southern city of Baidoa.
In his letter, Haysom asked the minister to explain the legal basis for Robow’s arrest. He also asked what action had been taken to investigate the deaths.
Al Shabaab has sought for over a decade to topple the central government and implement its strict version of Islamic lawin Somalia.
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